Pre-Application Advice

What Are the Prospects of Gaining Planning Permission?

If planning permission is required, the Development Control section will be happy to provide informal pre-application advice on the likelihood of gaining an approval. Such advice can only be provided on an informal, non-prejudicial, basis; the only way to gain a definitive decision being the submission of a formal application. You may however find such advice helps avoid problems when your formal application is submitted, and can often identify any potential difficulties before you incur the expenditure of a planning application fee and architects' / planning agents' fees etc.

The provision of pre-application advice is time consuming, and the current statutory planning fees do not cover the cost of these discussions. In view of this, and taking into account the increased number of requests for advice, we have formalised the procedures for handling this area of work and introduced a fee for the most complex applications. This will help us to sustain and improve the quality of service provided. The first pre-application advice meeting for those enquiries subject to the charging scheme will be provided free of charge to all applicants

Development proposals that are subject to the chargeable pre-application advice scheme are the following types of development, or where a development forms part of a scheme within these thresholds:

	RESIDENTIAL	COMMERCIAL	PRE-APPLICATION ADVICE FEE (INC VAT)
STRATEGIC PROPOSAL	50 dwellings or more	10,000 + sq m floor space	£3,400.00
MAJOR PROPOSAL	10-50 dwellings	1,000 – 9,999 sq m floor space	£1,800.00

 

More detailed information on the District Council's scheme for pre-application advice on major development can be found in the Pre-Application Advice Procedures for Major and Strategic Development (PDF Document, 0.1 Mb)

Minor Development Pre-Application Advice: Should you wish the Council to give you an informal officer view ahead of any formal planning application submission in respect of a schemewhich does not fall within the thresholds for major development , please write or e-mail , providing as much detail as possible (sketch plans are often helpful), to the Development Control section at the Council Offices.

Major Development Pre-Application Advice: Should you wish to seek pre-application advice on a major scheme, please complete Form PAA1 (PDF Document, 0.1 Mb).

In all cases we aim to respond to enquiries in writing within 20 working days wherever possible (although please see the  Pre-Application Advice Procedures for Major and Strategic Development (PDF Document, 0.1 Mb) for more detailed advice on the timescales for providing responses to requests for pre-application advice on major schemes).

Further advice on the design of development can be viewed in the Council's Development Guidelines (PDF Document, 0.1 Mb). You may also find it useful to refer to the Council's policies contained within the North West Leicestershire Local Plan and Supplementary Planning Guidance / Supplementary Planning Documents, as well as those within National Planning Policy Guidance Notes and Planning Policy Statements.